Lzh Dg Bu Vb Sk 67Not Eat at Base of Stupa

– FOUR-PART VINAYA

– ŚIKṢĀKARAṆĪYA

RULE 67

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden, the Jeta Grove, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, the group of six bhikkhus sat eating beneath a stupa, and after finishing their meal they left behind food remnants and refuse, fouling the ground, and then departed.

The bhikkhus saw this; among them were those of few desires and contentment, who practiced the ascetic virtues, were fond of training in the precepts, and knew shame. They reproved the group of six bhikkhus, then went to the Blessed One, bowed their heads at his feet, sat to one side, and reported this matter to the Blessed One in full.

The Blessed One used this occasion to assemble the Saṅgha of bhikkhus and reprimanded the group of six bhikkhus … as before, up to the passage: "From this day forward, I shall lay down a precept for the bhikkhus comprising ten grounds of meaning," and so forth up to: "so that the true Dharma may long endure."

Wishing to recite the precept, it should be recited thus:

One must not sit and eat beneath a stupa — śikṣākaraṇīya.

The Blessed One laid down the precept for the bhikkhus in this manner. At that time, bhikkhus built stupas and then offered food, built halls and then offered food, or made offerings at ponds and wells; many people gathered, the seating was cramped, and the bhikkhus did not dare to sit beneath the stupa to eat, since permission had not yet been granted by the Buddha. They went to report this. The Buddha instructed:

"I permit sitting to eat, but one must not leave refuse and food remnants to foul the ground."

At that time, there was a bhikkhus who ate at one sitting, or bhikkhus who had performed the act for making a remainder meal yet did not eat, or bhikkhus who were sick and did not dare to leave food remnants and refuse to foul the ground. The Buddha permitted gathering them to one side of the feet and then carrying them outside to discard them. The Buddha instructed:

From this day forward, the precept should be recited thus:

One must not sit and eat beneath a stupa and leave behind refuse and food remnants to foul the ground — śikṣākaraṇīya.

If a bhikkhus intentionally sits beneath a stupa to eat and then leaves food remnants to foul the ground, he commits a duṣkṛta requiring confession. Because it is done intentionally, he commits a duṣkṛta of improper conduct. If it is done unintentionally, he commits a duṣkṛta.

Bhikkhunīs, down to śrāmaṇeras and śrāmaṇerīs — duṣkṛta. This is called an offense.

Non-offense: if one has some kind of illness, or if one gathers the remnants to one place and then carries them outside to discard them, there is no offense.

Those who do not offend: one who offends for the first time before the precept was established; one who is mentally deranged, of disturbed mind, or afflicted and tormented with pain.

Vietnamese translation: Bhikkhus Thích Đỗng Minh and Thích Đức Thắng. FOUR-PART VINAYA, PART ONE

Chinese translation: Tripiṭaka masters Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian.

Revised and annotated: Bhikkhu Thích Nguyên Chứng

(Chinese translation, fascicles 1–21; Vietnamese translation, fascicles 1–2)

Buddhist Publishing Committee, 2002